Wick to Oban, via the Caledonian canal

22/8/25 to 30/8/25

There's nothing quite like returning from travels to help you see your own country in glorious technicolour again.  We spent a lovely weekend settling back into life in Scotland.  After a relaxing Friday afternoon following our arrival in Wick and a delicious fresh seafood dinner from the 'Creel & Crumb' shack at the top of the pontoons, we headed out for a much needed leg stretch round the headland to the north of Wick.  The cows and sheep were grazing contentedly in the lush green fields alongside the paths, kestrels were hovering above the more rustic areas just in from the coastline.  Large chatterings of starlings were lining the telegraph lines, waiting no doubt to create their beautiful murmurations as sunset approached, and a couple of buzzards soared inland.  Despite never having been to Wick or the surrounding area before (except for a brief visit by Stuart a couple of decades ago), there was a beautiful familiarity of the unfamiliar!

In the evening we wandered down to Riverside Park, just to the west of the town to watch the pipe bands of Wick, Caithness and Thurso come together for their end of season finale.  We gather they each play every Saturday evening in their local areas throughout the summer and, on occasion like this one, come together en masse.  It was clear that it provides a strong focal point for communities to join in and support, and band members were of all ages, including a considerable number of youngsters.  The music was great and very much reminded us we were home again!

Massed bands in Wick

We were up early on the Sunday morning to catch the tide going south. Unfortunately there was no wind, so our journey down to Portmahomack ended up being a very relaxed motor, but given the progress we had made under sail across the North Sea we were content to enjoy the different conditions.  We spotted a few dolphins in the distance, many a snoozing seal and I was back to making scones underway!  On arrival we set the anchor and enjoyed our first swim in Scottish waters of the season.  

Pretty morning in Portmahomack

It was another early start the next day (Monday) to get some tidal assistance to the eastern entrance to the Caledoninan canal.  Haar shrouded the coastline and gradually lifted during the morning, but we did encounter a few thick patches as we approached Inverness and were glad for the new chart plotter (that enabled the radar).  On approach to the Moray Firth we were briefly joined by a sizeable dolphin who played in the bow wave and was a delight to watch.  We gather it has been a great season for seeing them on the West coast this year and we hope to see a few more before the season ends...!

With the canal entrance approaching we organised our fenders and lines.  In order to protect the fenders from rubbing on the canal wall as the boat moves up and down the locks we hang a piece of wood (offcut of decking wood as it turns out!) across the outside of the fenders.  Also we rigged low-friction rings as fairleads for our mooring lines as the height of the locks means they can get pulled out of the normal fairleads on the boat.

Low friction rings as fairleads

With the assistance of the lock-keepers we were soon through the first two locks and a railway swing bridge, and into a berth at Seaport marina in the western outskirts of Inverness.  Throughout all of our transit the lock-keepers were excellent - always hugely helpful and engaging.  Unlike the Crinan canal where you have to manually operate many of the locks, all of the locks in the Caledonian canal are electronically controlled by lock-keeping staff and they will also help with securing your lines - you just need to make sure that you can throw the line to them okay!  Where there is a run of locks e.g. the Muirtown flight, Fort Augustus and Neptune's staircase, I would get off the boat and walk down the side of the canal from lock to lock with the bow line, while a lock-keeper would man the stern line (and Stuart the helm!).  Whilst we could have managed both lines between the two of us, the lock-keepers were very happy to help and therefore we just settled into that rhythm.

The sun was still shining and after a quick nip to the boat chandlery (for some cleaning products!), a visit to the phenomenal second hand bookshop, Leakey's, (where I could have spent days exploring), we soon found the ice cream shop!  Essential provisions obtained we moseyed back to Evolene for a relaxing evening aboard.  Canal life requires no thought of tides or angry swells!

Leakey's bookshop

The following morning we were woken by the sound of a duck quacking and after letting the Lord of the Glens canal cruise boat go ahead we were soon heading up the Muirtown lock flight and then out into Loch Ness.  We had a bit of headwind and therefore ended up motoring the length of the loch but at least that was easier than my previous visit when I had rowed it with fellow Wormit Boat Club members!  Our stop for the night was at Fort Augustus - a small village at the south end of Loch Ness that I am always incredibly fond of.  The main hubbub of the village is the five locks rising up from the south end of Loch Ness, flanked either side by  grass verges and outdoor seating areas from the local pubs and cafes.  There are always tourists passing through and this creates a wonderful continental vibe and energy.  Each lock takes about 20 minutes to transit through, most of it spent waiting for the lock to fill or empty with water depending on whether you are going up or down, and when we continued our journey south the following morning up these flight of locks there was no shortage of people to chat to!  Lock-keepers sharing the life stories, fellow cruisers in the boats alongside in the canal, passing tourists on the shoreside.  The tourists were understandably fascinated by the mechanics of the canal and we really enjoyed hearing their journeys also.

Fort Augustus flight

After Fort Augustus we had a couple more solitary locks to navigate along the way and very peacefully meandered down the canal, along Loch Oich and through the tree-lined Laggan avenue, soaking in the surroundings around us.  It really struck me how much a country can be defined by its colours and that day, Scotland was in full-force, rich sapphire, purple and jade.  Thinking back to our time in Norway, that was much more characterised by gold, crimson and yellow.  Dragonflies were darting along the canal edge, the deciduous trees were starting to turn and we could start to see the emergence of the autumn heather.

Laggan avenue

We decided to stop at the top of the Laggan lock to wait out a passing deluge and settled in for another lovely, tranquil evening.  Thereafter we would be heading down the locks and edging closer to our home cruising ground of the west coast.  

We were up promptly the next morning and after passing a very elegant pair of swans, with their near-fully grown cygnets in tow, we progressed down Laggan lock and made our way down the length of Loch Lochy (such an inspired name!), through another couple of locks and a swing bridge to the top of Neptune's staircase.  Here, we had a short stop to let the ascending boats through first before we made our way down the run of eight locks.  Unfortunately, we didn't manage the full eight before the 'curfew' of the bridge at the bottom (when it has to remain open as a road bridge for traffic during peak school commute times) but that did allow for a quick run to the ice cream stop!

Waiting our turn to descend Neptune's Staircase

Again the lock-keepers were super-friendly and helpful and it made for a very sociable afternoon.  The only drawback with the canal is that the supporting facilities building are old and borderline decrepit.  I experienced my worst shower of our whole travels at the Corpach basin facilities (where we berthed on the last night in the canal).  It wasn't the cleanest and oscillated between hot and cold, with variable power also.  Oh, and that was the men's also, as the women's was out of order....!  Hopefully, hopefully there are plans in place to gradually revamp the facilities in the near future as the canal is clearly a mecca for so many people - yachties, motor cruisers, canoeists, bikers, walkers and paddle-boarders - and it would be good to show Scotland at its best.

On our final morning we were up and ready to go before many of the ducks around us who were continuing to steadfastly bury their beaks in their feathers and ignore the looming rain approaching.  We 'locked out' of the sea lock before 9am and that was us back in the west coast!  After a bit of motoring, the wind filled in and we were able to shake out the sails once more to carry us down to Kerrera, where we planned to wait out a weekend of wet and stormy weather.  Kerrera is an island that sits across the bay from Oban and the marina there is going from strength to strength.  We also serendipitously were able to catch up with sailing friends aboard Altor of Down.  It can be difficult to co-ordinate both time and place when sailing and plans are often best made at short-notice, and definitely always best to make the most of the opportunities that do arise!

One lock to go until the salt water of the west coast

We therefore have a weekend of waiting out the weather ahead.  Catching up with boat jobs and washing, with a bit of socialising thrown in to!  We now have firmed up plans for Evolene to over-winter in Ardrossan, with a berth booked from the start of October.  It's strange to think we only have a month left, therefore, of these adventures but plans are already starting to form for next year's explorations...!